Comment by tharkun__ | Hacker News Reader

Comment by tharkun__ | Hacker News Reader

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IMO sabbaticals should totally not be introduced.

I know they sound awesome. But why do some companies introduce them? What are you suggesting introducing them for? To combat burnout. I.e. hopefully shortly before someone really burns out or most probably after they burned out already and need recovery they can go on a sabbatical.

How about not doing 80 hour weeks in the first place? How about not using arbitrary deadlines and throwing a fit over minor delays or changes to the plan? How about not doing all the crazy preventable things and pawing it off on other people.

I know, might be too much to ask so to speak but I really wish that more people would just not take this abuse instead of asking for a sabbatical to recover from the abuse.

Anyway, my $0.02.

I'm suggesting them as a way to give people longer breaks from work than can be afforded on 3-5 weeks of annual PTO, as a way for a business to retain talent that would otherwise leave.

Offering sabbaticals and maintaining good work life balance are not mutually exclusive. We should be able to have both.

I quit my job in February in part because my employer would not offer me a sabbatical. Had they offered me a sabbatical, I would likely be returning to work around now. The business would benefit from my seniority and established relationships within the company. Instead I'm out here finding new ways of making money and supporting myself - which is good for me perhaps, but not good for the business that I left.

I worked at a big technology company earlier this century which had sabbaticals at the 5 year mark. It ended the program because too many people would quit at the end of the sabbatical.

>too many people would quit at the end of the sabbatical

Not surprised. I assume that during the sabbatical, without the burden of the constant rat race, employees had time to reflect on what was bothering them about their job and practice interviewing without the daily work stress, allowing them to secure better jobs later.

I know a lot of people who hate their current job but the daily grind is so stressful, they don't have the energy to practice and interview at other places during the work week so they're more or less stuck in a place they hate.

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